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Alex Elias  USGA In a full-circle moment, Brandon Wu was the first to tee off at the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, having grown up roughly five minutes from the course. Reflecting on his childhood, the New York native said, "I actually thought it was advantageous to have the different seasons because then you could play other sports. At Deerfield [Academy], I swam and played football for a couple of years." "It certainly keeps your golf game fresh. At times, I definitely felt kind of rusty because I wasn’t playing year round but also when I got to Stanford and we were playing year round, I thought it was perfect," said Wu. Reflecting on his time at Stanford, Wu said, "This might be a different take than some people, but I just think that golf isn't the most important thing in the world, especially going to a place like Stanford. I was fortunate enough that golf brought me to Stanford, but it allowed me to experience all the other great things like getting to meet cool professors, making friends with people who started their own company and honestly, that helped with the golf." "One thing we would always talk about is you play golf, you're not a golfer. I felt like my first few years at Stanford, if I wasn't playing well, then that consumed me. My mood was so dependent on whether I was playing well that day or not. After I made that shift to you play golf, that's not who you are, that's just something you do, I felt that distinction made me more relaxed and allowed me to play better," said Wu.  Stanford Men's Golf Team As Wu is currently on the Korn Ferry Tour, Wu led Stanford to a National Championship his Senior year (2019). Heading into the the National Championship, Stanford had become somewhat of an underdog, as Texas had knocked off Oklahoma State University, a team led by Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff. "I definitely felt like the perception was that we were underdogs. I think we both embraced that role and were confident in ourselves. We were kind of just focused on our own team. Honestly, it was almost good to not be the favorite because I feel like all Oklahoma State was thinking about was winning the final. But for us, we just had to beat this team in front of us and focus on the task at hand," said Wu. "We played Wake Forest, then we played Vandy. We won close matches, but then we were in the finals and at that point, you might as well win it." Describing their National Championship, Wu said, "A special week that I'll remember forever."  Korn Ferry Tour Since arriving on the Korn Ferry Tour, Wu has continued his stellar play, most notably winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship last August. Although Wu has found immediate success inside the ropes, Wu said, "The transition is definitely tough. It's just you. You know you have to go out and perform. 100% of the responsibility is on you."
Using each week as an opportunity to grow, Wu said, "I think sometimes the margins are quite thin. Some things are different, like I'm never going to hit it as far as DJ, but you can make up for it putting or hitting your irons a little bit closer. It's important to realize everyone has their own way of going about it."
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